Book Friday – Favorite Books
30 October 2009
For today’s Book Friday, I looked through the books on my “Favorites” shelf. At the Morrill house, we like to split out our books as much as we can (general books, Christian non-fiction, Childrens, YA, etc.). Both Ben and I have a shelf that’s only our favorite books. Below is a list of the books currently occupying mine. I split them into categories just to make the viewing a bit easier:
YA Books
Twilight series Stephenie Meyer
The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants Ann Brashares
The Truth about Forever Sarah Dessen
Keeping the Moon Sarah Dessen
This Lullaby Sarah Dessen
Gossip Girl Cecily Von Ziegler
Contemporaries
Carolina Moon Nora Roberts
The Pact Jodi Picoult
Little Earthquakes Jennifer Weiner
White Oleander Janet Fitch
The River King Alice Hoffman
The Time Travelers Wife Audrey Niffinegger
Historicals
Pillars of the Earth Ken Follet
The Other Boleyn Girl Phillippa Gregory
The Apothecary’s Daughter Julie Klassen
Magdalene Angela Hunt
Classics
Emma Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen
Mansfield Park Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights Charlotte Bronte
Something that really struck me as I compiled this list is that there are only two Christian books on here, Magdalene by Angela Hunt and The Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen. My guess is a lot of this is because I didn’t start reading Christian fiction until the last couple years, and I read a lot of these books five-plus years ago.
Part of it is also…
Gosh, I hate to even say it because I don’t want it to sound like I’m bashing Christian fiction. But writing for the Christian market can be restrictive. Readers have definite expectations about what will, or more importantly, will not be between the covers. Little Earthquakes, which is a hilarious and accurate portrayal of what pregnancy and new mommyhood looks like, could never have sold to a Christian publisher. And while there are definitely some issues that I don’t mind being left “behind the scenes” (the graphic rapes in Pillars of the Earth come to mind), I appreciate the frankness I find in novels published for the general market.
Okay, this is me ducking for cover.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Comments
First, YAY, the new cover art is beautiful!
Second, how cool that we each have a “Favorites” shelf. (I think mine is now five shelves, but who’s counting?)
And regarding eclectic reading tastes…
I think it’s all about reader expectations and comfort. Read what you’re comfortable with, write within your reader expectations, and every once in awhile, pick up something to read that is outside your normal menu and see if it has merit. :)
There, that’s my totally unsolicited $.02 worth. :)
Posted by Erica Vetsch on 30 October 2009
I know, I know. Ender’s Game is totally on the list.
I definitely love a lot of CBA books, and I imagine the CBA section of my favorites shelf will expand in the coming years. And as a CBA writer of teenage books, I totally get why the restrictions are in place. I think (Erica, did we already have this discussion?) the guidelines often boost our creativity as we work to come up with alternatives.
For example, I have a scene in So Over It in which Eli definitely would have sworn, and I could NOT think of a way around it. I finally did, and liked the result much better. Because I HAD to come up with something different, it forced me out of my box.
Posted by Stephanie on 30 October 2009
Yeah, the two authors with the most titles on my shelves are Orson Scott Card (you, by the way, Ms. Morrill, still need to read ENDER’S GAME) and Nora Roberts. There’s definitely something to be said for the freedom you’re allowed in the general market.
Of course, as someone who largely ONLY reads CBA, I’m soooo glad to see them expanding their horizons! And don’t worry—I’ll keep recommending those books with a frankness you’ll like;-)
Posted by Roseanna White on 30 October 2009